Quincy native's wife dies in Afghanistan helicopter crash

The wife of a Quincy native was among five U.S. Army soldiers killed March 11 a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Capt. Sara Knutson, 27, married Chris Cullen, 31, a 1999 Quincy High School graduate, in November.

By Jack Encarnacao

The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA

By Jack Encarnacao

Posted Mar. 19, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Mar 19, 2013 at 7:09 PM

By Jack Encarnacao

Posted Mar. 19, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Mar 19, 2013 at 7:09 PM

QUINCY

» Social News

The wife of a Quincy native was among five U.S. Army soldiers killed March 11 a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Capt. Sara Knutson, 27, married Chris Cullen, 31, a 1999 Quincy High School graduate, in November.

Chris Cullen and Sara Knutson married in November, and bought a house together in Georgia near her Army base.

A month after she was deployed to Afghanistan, Cullen, a former Black Hawk helicopter pilot, deployed to the country to work for a private contracting company.

“He left active duty ... to be near her,” said City Councilor Joseph Finn, a friend of Cullen’s family. “It’s just an incredible tragedy.”

Capt. Knutson, 27, was among five U.S. Army soldiers killed March 11 in a helicopter crash in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Initial reporting indicated there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash, according to the NATO International Security Assistance Force.

“On (March 13) I had the unfortunate honor of returning to US soil with the fallen aircrew of 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade,” Cullen, 31, wrote on his Facebook page Sunday. “My sadness over the loss of my wife ... was overpowered by the honor and pride of being among fallen brothers and sisters as they were brought home one last time. They are true heroes. They will never be forgotten and will be missed forever ... To Sara's and my own family and friends, I love you. Without you I would be lost.”

Cullen, a Houghs Neck native, graduated from Quincy High School in 1999.

Members of Knutson’s family told The Baltimore Sun that she met Cullen while stationed in Alaska a few years ago. They were married in Baltimore in November.

The couple bought a house in Georgia, not far from where Knutson’s parents had retired in South Carolina, The Sun reported.

She was deployed to Afghanistan in January, and met her husband on the weekends or in the morning for coffee, The Sun reported.

In addition to her husband, Knutson is survived by her parents, brother, sister, brother-in-law and nieces.